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Planning and preparation for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics has brought “great progress,” with organizers expressing confidence that President Donald Trump’s latest travel ban will not prevent game participants from entering the US
“It was very clear that the Olympics needed special consideration and I wanted to thank the federal government for actually recognizing it,” LA28 president and President Casey Wasserman said at a press conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
“It’s very clear that the federal government understands that it’s the environment they respond and deliver,” he said. “We have great confidence that it’s just going to continue. That’s what we’ve been and will be a fact of the future through the game.”
Nicole Hoberts, a member of the International Olympic Committee, who chairs the LA28 coordination committee, expects the US government to cooperate, similar to the previous Olympics held.
President Donald Trump signed a travel ban late Wednesday, banning citizens from 12 countries from travelling to the United States. Seven additional countries have received partial bans.
“It’s something we definitely look at and make sure it’s guaranteed,” she said. “We are confident this will be achieved, and we are sure this will be done well.”
Sixteen IOC members completed their three-day visit on Thursday and inspected locations at multiple venues, including Dodger Stadium, where they participated in major league baseball games between the New York Mets and Dodgers.
The IOC’s Coordination Committee was the last in the city in November.
“We’ve seen great progress,” Hoevertsz said. “We leave town with great confidence on the road ahead.”
The game has been in 1,135 days since it opened on July 14, 2028, with Wasserman saying “currently in delivery mode.”
Saturday marks the six-month anniversary of a deadly wildfire that has devastated the Pacific Pallisad and Altadena communities northeast of downtown on the west side of the city.
“In California, there are some obvious things you need to prepare for – earthquakes, wildfires,” Wasserman said. “You certainly want them to never happen, but it’s our job, so if you’re not prepared for any kind of contingency, then you’re ashamed of us.”
Reynold Hoover, who runs LA28’s daily work as CEO, said emergency plans are ongoing.
“The wildfires have given us the opportunity within our organization to think a little differently about how we are structured, how we affect our communities and how we think about sustainability,” he said.
From a financial standpoint, Wasserman said the game is “incredibly confident” to make money.
“Frankly, losing money is not a really option for us. We have a backstop from the city, but we understand that we are not going to get close,” he said. “We’ve built all the shipping to track the revenue we create, which is why we’ve been so aggressive and we’ve been going for a long time, by generating as much revenue as possible.”
Wasserman said LA28 is “a lot more than” 60% of its contract revenue.
“We have more revenues contracted today than Paris has made gross revenue,” he said. “And we haven’t sold tickets yet.”
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